Assembling elevator control device for a typographical composing machine



- 2,874,825 ASSEMBLING ELEVATOR CONTROL DEVICE FOR A L. ROS SETTO Feb. 24, 1959 TYPOGRAPHICAL COMFOSING MACHINE Y 2 Sheets Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1958 v nvfavrox. Lou/s ROSSETTO- ATTORNEY Feb. 24, 1959 L. ROSSETTO ASSEMBLING ELEVATOR CONTROL DEVICE FOR A TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Filed March 31; 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INI'E.\'TOR. LOU/S ROSSETTO JTTORIVEY United-States Patent ASSEMBLING ELEVATOR CONTROL DEVICE FOR A TYPOGRAPHICAL COMPOSING MACHINE Louis Rossetto, Kings Point, N. Y., assignor to lv'lergenthaler Linotype Company, a corporation of New York Application March 31, 1958, Serial No. 724,961

' 4 Claims. (Cl. 199-18) This invention relates to typographical composing machines of the general organization represented in U. S.

Letters Patent to 0.. Merganthaler, No. 436,532, wherein circulating matrices and spacebands are composed in line in an assembling elevator by the operation of a keyboard, the elevator raised to line transfer position, the composed line transferred therefrom to a first elevator which presents the line, between a pair of vise jaws, to the face of'a mold for the casting of a type bar or slug, and the matrices and spacebands thereafter separated. and returned to their places of storage. More particularly, the invention relates to machines of that class adapted to be equipped with an automatic control unit, such as a Teletypesetter Unit, which automatically operates the keyboard and raises the assembling elevator in response to code perforations in a tape.

In these machines, line composition and casting is completely automatic, making it unnecessary for an operator to sit at a keyboard, as in the conventional method of composition. Since supervision of the machine is at a minimum during operation, any failure of delivery of matrices or spacebands to the assembling elevator in response to signals in the tape will not be detected immediately. Inasmuch as no operator is present to notice and correct such a deficiency while the line is in the assembling elevator, any incomplete line assembled on the elevator will be interposed between the vise jaws and presented to the mold. As usual, the line is then justified, that is to say, the wedge-shaped spacebands in the line are driven upwardly, expanding the line between the jaws. Thereupon, the molten metal-is forced into the mold and against the line under considerable pressure. If, upon justification, the composed line is not fully expanded between the vise jaws, due to either the failure of delivery 2,874,825 Patented Feb. 24, 1959 bands actually delivered to the assembling elevator. If the two totals do not correspond, the elevator is positively prevented from rising. This, of course, causes no damage to the machine since, as is well known, the elevator raising mechanism automatically slips when its motion is obstructed. If the two totals do correspond, the locking mechanism is rendered inoperative, and theelevator is allowed to rise to its line delivery position.

The details of the present invention will be more fully describedin the specification which follows.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevational cross-sectional view taken through the keyboard and matrix release mechanism of a composing machine showing the matrix signal device;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the assembling entrance and elevator showing the matrix response device;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a spaceband box showing the spaceband signal device;

"ice

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3

showing the spaceband response device;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational cross-sectional view of the assembling elevator raising mechanism of an automatic control unit;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective device;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view and its operating cam; and

Fig. 8 is a schematic circuit arrangement of the invention. I

Referring to the drawings, particularly Fig. 1, a typographical linccasting machine is operated automatically by a Teletypesctter control unit 10. As usual, the Teletypesetter unit 10 serves to selectively depress the keylevers 11 of the composing machine in accordance with the signals in a perforated tape 17 which is fed into the unit. Conventionally, when a keylever 11 is depressed, a keyboard bar 12 is raised, rotating trigger 13 about rod 14. This releases a cam yoke 15, pivoted at 16, which drops and allows a cam 19, rotatably mounted between the tines of the yoke 15, to contact a continuously rotating rubber roller 20. Roller 20 serves to rotate cam 19, which, by virtue of its eccentricity, raises yoke 15 until the free end thereof strikes and lifts key reed 21, which in turn lifts long key rod 22. Rod 22 rotates escapement lever 23, pivoted at 24, thereby activating the escapement mechanism which releases a matrix 25 from the magazine view of the matrix signal of the end-of-line switch 1 26. The matrix 25 then falls through a chute 29 on to a delivery belt 30 which delivers it, for composition in line,

of one or more matrices to the assembling elevator, making the line unduly short, or the failure of delivery of the proper number of spacebands to the assembling elevator, the casting mechanism will be automatically rendered inoperative, in a well known maniier, in order to prevent liquid metal from being forced ,through any spaces or openings in the line. However, in spite of the fact that all the matrices and spacebandspalled for on the tape havenot been delivered and hence are not included in the composed line, it frequentlyg happens that the line will still be fully expanded between the vise jaws and, of course, an erroneous slug will be cast. It is only after the casting operation that. the deficiency will be observed, if in fact it is noticed at all, and the line will then have to be recomposed and recast.

The present invention is intended to obviate the above difficulty by equipping automatically operated machines with a means which automatically prevents the raising to an assembling elevator 31, the line thereafter being presented to a mold wherein a typographical slug is cast. The above description is, of course, familiar to those in the typographical composing art.

In the present invention, the reactions of the matrix and spaceband release mechanisms to the operation of the Teletypesetter control unit are employed to count the rri latrix and spaceband signals on the perforated tape, i. e. td count the number of times that the keyboard is operated'. On the other hand, matrices and spacebands themselves are utilized to record their own delivery to the assembling elevator.

The manner in which a matrix signal on the tape 17 is detected may be seen in Fig. l and more clearly in Fig. 6. A supporting bracket 32 is mounted on the machine frame 33. A narrow plate 34 whose length slightly exceeds the distance between the extreme members of the long key rod bank 22, is pivotallymounted about one long edge in bracket 32. Each long key. rod

22 is provided with a slot 35 in its machineward edge, the lower wall of which is parallel to the line about j which plate 34 is pivoted. Therefore, when plate 34 is in its normal position, resting on the lower walls of slots 35, it will be disposed perpendicular to the bracket 3 1 32. The matrix signal switch 36 is mounted on-bracket 32 above the pivoted plate 34. The lower contact 39 of switch 36, which is normally open, is provided with a roller 40 which rests on the upper surface of plate 34.

As is well known, there is one long key rod 22" associated with each key lever 11. Therefore, each time a tape signal operates a key lever 11, a long key rod 22 is raised, indicated by the arrow in Fig.6, pivoting plate 34 upward. When this occurs, roller 40 rides on the upper surface of plate 34 as lower contact 39 of switch 36 moves upward to close the switch. The switch then opens as the long key rod 22 returns to its normal position. It should be noted that the slots 35 are cut high enough to allow one long key rod to rise while the others remain inert, thus permitting independent action of each long key rod.

For our purposes herein, the spaceband release mechanism operates in much the same way as the matrix rclease mechanism, in that a vertical link 41 (Fig. 4) is lifted in response to operation of a key lever (not shown). The raising and lowering of vertical link 41 serves to actuate the spaceband escapement mechanism through spaceband escapement lever 42,. thereby releasing a spaceband 43 from spaceband box 44. The vertical link 41' is provided on one side with a lug 47. The spaceband signal switch 45,mounted on a bracket 46, is provided with two thin wire contacts 49 and 50, arranged one above the other, and disposed in the path of lug 47 on link 41. Consequently, when a spaceband is called for on the tape, vertical link 41 will rise and lug 4 elevator raising mechanism of the Teletypesetter shown in Fig. 5. A Y-shaped elevator shaft arm 64, rotatably mounted on elevator operating shaft 65, has a follower roller 66 at the extremity of one bifurcation, and a spring loaded detent 69 projecting from the end of the other. bifurcation. The follower roller 66 rides on the elevator cam 70 which is mounted on the elevator power shaft 71. The tapered end of detent 69 is normally disposed in a notch 72 in a segment member 73 which is fixed on elevator operating shaft 65. The above mentioned elevator operating signal effects a rotation of 47 will lift lower contact 50 into engagement with upper contact 49, thereby closing the spaceband signal switch 45.

As was mentioned before, the matrices and spacebandsv activate the response switches-as they are being delivered. The matrix response device will be described with ref erence to Fig. 2 in which matrices 25 are shown being carried by delivery-belt 30 to an inclined chute .51, through which the matrices" 25 fall elevator 31. A bell crank 52,- is pivotally mounted at 53 on the machine frame directly above the chute 51, in place of the usual chute spring. The lower finger of hell crank 52 is biased into light tension spring frame and the upper finger of the bell crank. The

matrix response switch 55,mounted on the machine frame, is provided with two externally projecting contact strips 56 and 57, which are normally separated. As a matrix leaves the delivery belt 30 and falls through the inclined chute 51, it will pivot bell crank 52 clockwise through a small angle. This movement is sufiicient to permit theupper fingerof the bell crank to move one contact strip 57 of switch into engagement with the other contact strip 56, thus signaling delivery of a matrix. The contact will then be broken immediately as spring 54 returns bell crank 52 to its normal position, contacting chute 51.

The'spaceband response switch is disposed in the lower extremity of the spaceband delivery channel 60, which depends from the spaceband box 44, andthrough which a spaceband being delivered to the assembling elevator must fall. Referring to Fig. 4,- one flexible contact strip 62 of spaceband response switch 61 is disposed just out of the path of the falling spaceband, whilethe other flexible contact strip 63 is so positioned that the distance between it and the far wall of the channel is less than the width of the spaceband 43 at its widest point.

Therefore, as the spaceband falls past the-position of the contacts, it pushes contact strip 63 into engagement with contact strip 62, thereby signaling its delivery.

When a completed line of matrices and spacebands has been composed on the assembling, elevator 31 an elevator operating signal or end-of-line signal in the tape is sent through the Teletypesetter unit, which serves to arrest further movement of the tape and to activate the on to assembling contact with chute 51 by a 54 positioned between the machine elevator power shaft 71, and hence elevator cam 70, through one complete revolution. This serves to pivot elevator. shaft arm 64 in a counter-clockwise direction which in turn' pivots segment member 73' through the driving connection between -detent 69 and notch 72, thereby pivoting shaft 65. which raises the assembling elevator. As is well known, should there for any reason be an undue resistance to. the movement of the assembling elevator, spring loaded detent 69 will yield, come out of engagement with notch, 72 and ride in a trackway 74 of segment member. 73.. Consequently, even-though,

shaft 71 continues to rotate when the elevator is unable to rise, no damage-will be done to the machine..

As partof the present invention, in Figs. 5 and 7, a

cam 75 is mounted on shaft 71, in addition to cam 70. An end-of-line switch 76, mounted on the machine frame. directly above cam. 75, is provided with two flexiblecontact strips 79' and 80 projecting horizontally therefrom.

During the one revolution of shaft 71,.cam 75 serves to close and open switch .76 once, for a purpose to be hereinaftendescn'bed.

Referring to Fig. .2, 'J the assembling elevator 31 is provided with a .detent' 81 projecting horizontally from 'its lower portion.

ture shaft 83,?in deenergized .position,'disposecl directly above detent 81-. A normallyclosed elevator switch 84- is mounted on-the machine .frame above solenoid 82.

Onecontacttof switch 84 has a roller 85' mountedthereon, which engagesa camsurface 86 disposed on the Bic-- a matrix or spaceband has been delivered for every matrix and spaceband called for on-the tape 17,"a circuit will be completed which energizes. solenoid .82 serving to pull armature shaft.83 out of the path of detent 81,

thereby allowing assembling elevator 31 to rise... Asthe elevator rises,.it opensswitch 84 which deenergizessolenoid 82,. readying .it forrthc next cycle. The fact thatarmature shaft: 83 is disposed in its extended .position will not hinder the returnmovement of the assembling elevator, alter it has delivered the composed line, due to the oppositely beveled ends on detent 81 and shaft 83 which cooperate to allow biased armature shaft outof itspath.

If there has not been a response to every matrix and.

spaceband signal on thettape 17, the circuit which energizes solenoid 82 will not be completed, hence armature shaft 83 willnot be moved out of the path of detent 81', and elevator '31 will not. be-allowed to rise- No damage will result to:the machine due to thisintentional jamming7 of the 'elevator,'sincc the elevator raising mechanism'of the teletypesetter automatically slips when the elevator is prevented fromrising as. was above described 'A warnin light is. thereupon automatically activated which attracts an'attendantwho may complete the line manually and set: the machinein motion once again.-

Fig. 8 shows the electricalfcircuits.employed to. carry out the operation'of the .invention as herelnbefore described. The circuits are shown in a straight" orfacross- A solenoid 82 'is mounted on the machine frame,-.to the right of the detent 81, withits armathe detent to slide the spring.

the-line form in which the contacts of a relay are shown separated from the relay coil which operates them and arranged in the circuits which they control. Thus it is possible to arrange each coil circuit in a straight line between parallel lines representing the power source.

In the across-the-line diagram the following relays will be found:

RSH--response stepper switch homing relay. SSH--signal stepper switch homing relay. EAelevator activating relay. WA--warning relay.

Throughout the description which follows, these letters will be applied to the coils of the above designated relays. Also, with reference numerals appended thereto, they will be applied to the contacts of these relays. The relay contacts are shown in deenergizcd condition.

In addition to the switches heretofore mentioned in the specification, the following mechanically actuated switches are also located in the across-the-linc diagram.

RH-reset homing switch. RSrestart switch.

The following stepping switches are also employed in the electrical system:

SSSmatrix and spaceband signal. stepping switch RSSmatrix and spaceband response stepping switch.

The electrical circuits are connected to a source of powerby switch means, not shown. Thereafter, when a matrix is called for on the tape, the matrix signal switch 36 closes completing a circuit from line W1, through switch 36 and stepper switch coil SSS to line W2. As the tape continues to feed through the automatic control unit, switch 36 opens, breaking the circuit. The make and break of the circuit serves to energize and deenergize the coil SSS and results in the advancement of brush $851 from its home position to the next adjacent contact of the stepper switch. Movement of brush $881 from its home position closes contacts 8552, which remain closed as long as the stepper switch SSS is not in its home position, and open only when the stepper switch SSS returns to its home position.

In a similar manner, when a spaceband is called for on the tape, the spaceband signal switch 45 closes, completing a circuit from line W1, through switch 45 and stepper switch coil SSS to line W2. broken when switch 45 opens, at which time brush SSSl advances to the next adjacent contact.

In this way, each time a matrix or a spaceband is called for on the tape, brush SSS1 advances one contact.

When a matrix is delivered to the assembling elevator in response to a signal on the tape, the matrix response switch 55 closes completing a circuit from line W1 through switch 55 and stepper switch coil.RSS to line W2. Coil RSS is thereby activated and causes brush RSS1 to move from its home position, shown in the diagram, to the next adjacent contact of the stepper switch, as was described previously with reference to the closing of switch 36. When stepper switch.RSS is not in its home position, contacts RSS2 close, and open again only when the stepper switch RSS returns to its home position.

Similarly, when a spaceband is delivered to the assembling elevator in response to a signal on the tape, the spaceband response switch 61 closes completing a circuit The circuit is from line W1 through switch 61 and stepper switch coil I RSS to line W2. The circuit is broken when switch 61 opens, and brush RSS1 advances to the next adjacent contact.

Here, too, each time a matrix or spac'eband is delivered for a matrix. or spaceband, brushes S881 and RSS1 will be disposed on corresponding contacts of their respective stepper switches when a complete line has been composed on the assembling elevator. As can be seen in Fig. 8, corresponding contact points on stepper switches SSS and RSS are directly connected to one another. Consequently, if a complete line has. been composed, when the end-of-line switch 76 closes, a circuit is completed from line W1 through switch 76, stepper switches SSS and RSS. and elevator activating coil EA to line W2.

Energization of coil EA serves to close contacts EAl, completing a self-holding circuit from line W1 through elevator switch 84, contacts EAI and coilEA to line W2. Contacts EAZ also close when coil EA is energized, completing a circuit from line Wl through solenoid 82 and contacts EA2 to line W2. Solenoid 82 is thereby energized moving the armature shaft 83 of solenoid 82 outof thepath of detent 81', allowing the assembling As the assembling elevator rises, it opens elevator switch 84which deenergizes coil EA. Contacts EAZ open deenergizing solenoid; 82, allowing the armature shaft to return to its normal position, awaiting the next cycle.

When solenoid 82 is energized, reset homing switch RH closes, completing two circuits. 'One' circuit is completed from lineWl through switch RH, contacts RSI-l2, and response stepper switch homing coil RSH to line W2, thereby energizing coil RSI-I. The other circuit is completed from line W1 through switch RH, contacts SSH2 and signal stepper switch homing coil SSH to line'WZ, thereby energizing coil- SSH. -When. coil RSH is energized, contacts. RSI-I1 close, completing. a selfholding'circuit .from line W1 through contacts RSS2, which are closed since stepper switch RSS is not in its home position, RSHland coil RSH to line W2, after which contacts RSI-I2 open. Similarly, when coil SSH is energized, contacts SSHl close completing a selfholding circuit from line W1 through contacts 8882, contacts' SSHI, and coil SSH to line W2, after which contacts SSH2 open.

-Energization of coils RSH and SSH serve .to advance stepper switches RSS and SSS respectively to their home spacebands being delivered to the assembling elevator,.

energized the coil. As soon as the circuit energizing coil RSSis complete, however, interrupterv contacts open,

breaking the circuit and deenergizing coil RSS. As before,

this make and break of the circuit serves to advance brush RSS1 to the next adjacent contact of the stepper switch. As soon as the circuit breaks, interrupter contacts 9.0 reclose, energizing coil'RSS once again. When the interruptercontacts reopenybrush RSS1 will, of course, ad-

vance another step. The energizing and deenergizing of coil RSS will continue until brush RSS1 reaches its home position. At that time, contacts RSS2'will' open, as mentioned before, deenergizing coil RSH, hence opening contacts RSI-I3. Thus when the stepper switch RSS reaches its home position, it will remain there until matrices and spacebands are again delivered to the assembling elevator.

i In exactly the same manner as just described, coil SSH is energized, serving to close contacts SSH3, completing a circuit from line W1 through contacts SSH3, interrupter 91 and coil SSS to line W2. By'means of interrupter 91 stepper switch SSS is returned to its home positiomwhereupon contacts 8582 open, deenergizing coil SSH. The arrangement is 'now ready to repeat the above'described cycle.

Assuming that one or more matrices or spacebands called for on the tape are not delivered to the assembling elevator, an incomplete line will be composed and brushes S551 and RSS1 will not be disposed on corresponding contacts of their respective stcpper switches, when the end of line signal on the tape calls for the closing of switch 76. This is so since coil RSS will not have been energized as many times as coil SSS. Consequently, closing of switch 76 will not result in an energization of coil EA, hence contacts EA2 will not close and solenoid 82 will not be energized. Therefore, armature shaft 83 will remain in the path of detent 81, and the assembling elevator will be prevented from rising, when the tape signals for the elevator rise. As was mentioned before, movement of the tape is arrested as well.

Since coil EA has not been energized, contacts EA3 vrill remain closed, meaning that when switch 76 closes a circuit is completed from line W1 through switch 76, contacts EA3 and time delay coil WA to line W2. Energization of coil WA results in the closing of contacts WAl, making the circuit self-holding, and results in the closing of contacts WA2 which completes a circuit from line W1 through contacts WA2 and warning light 92 to line W2. The energized warning light, indicating that there is an incomplete line on the assembling elevator. will attract an attendant who may complete the line by manually placing the missing matrices or spacebands in proper position. The attendant then pushes restart push button RS which completes a circuit from line W1 through push-button RS and coil EA to line W2, thereby energizing coil EA and in turn energizing solenoid 82. Since the elevator will then be allowed to rise, the operator may manually raise the elevator to line transfer position, and thereafter return it to normal composing position, following which he may re-initiate movement of the tape.

Energization of solenoid 82 will cause switch RH to close, causing stepper switches SSS and RSS to return to their home positions as described above. Contacts EA3 open when coil' EA is energized, hence the warning light 92 will go off. The machine will now continue to operate normally, as described above, until the attendant is once again called upon to complete an incomplete line.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form only and by way of example. but many variations and modifications may be made therein and in its mode of application which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment, except in so far as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a typographical composing machine, the combination of a keyboard for releasing matrices and spacebands from their places of storage, an assembling elevator wherein the released matrices and spacebands are delivered one after another to form a composed line, an automatic control unit having mechanism for automatically operating the keyboard and mechanism for raising the assembling elevator, a lock which normally prevents the raising of said elevator, means for counting the number of times the keyboard is operated during composition of a line, means for counting the number of spacebands and matrices that are actually delivered to said elevator during composition of the same line, and means to render said lock inoperative when the number of times that the keyboard is operated equals the number of spacebands and matrices that are delivered to said elevator.

2. In a typographical composing machine. the combination of a keyboard, means responsive to the operation of said keyboard for releasing matrices from a storage magazine, means responsive to the operation of said keyboard for releasing spacebands from a storage box, an assembling elevator wherein the matrices and spacebands are; composed in line, an automatic control unit having mechanism for automatically operating the keyboard and mechanism for raising the assembling elevator, means for counting the number of times the spaceband releasing means and the number of times the matrix releasing means are operated by said keyboard during the composition of a line, means for counting the number of spacebands and matrices that are delivered to said elevator during the composition of the same line, a lock which prevents :he raising of the assembling elevator, and means to render said lock inoperative when the number of spacebands and matrices delivered into the assembling elevator equals the number of times the spaceband releasing mechanism and the matrix releasing mechanism are operated. v

3. In a typographical composing machine, the combina tion of a keyboard having a plurality of key levers thereon, an assembling elevator wherein matrices and spacebands are composed in line, an automatic control unit having mechanism for automatically operating said keyboard and mechanism, including a rotatable shaft, for raising the assembling elevator, means responsive to the operation of said keyboard for releasing matrices from a storage magazine, said means including vertically disposed long key rods associated with said key levers, means responsive to the operation of said keyboard for releasing spacebands from a storage box, said means including a vertically disposed link associated with one of said key levers, means for counting the number of times the matrix releasing mechanisms are operated during composition of a line, said means comprising a switch, and means associated with the long key rods for activating said switch whenever the matrix releasing mechanism is operated, means'for counting the number of times the spaceband releasing mechanism is operated during composition of the same line, said means comprising a switch, and means associated with the vertical link for activating said switch whenever the spa ceband releasing mechanism is operated, means for counting the number of matrices that are actually delivered to said assembling elevator during composition of said line, said means comprising a switch and means operated by the falling matrix for activating said switch, mcaps for counting the number of spacebands that are actually delivered to said assembling elevator durin composition of the same line, said means comprising a switch activated by the falling spaceband, a lock which prevents the raising of the assembling elevator, and means to render said lock inoperative, including a cam disposed on said rotatable shaft, and a switch operated by said cam.

4. A combination according to claim 3, including an additional switch operated by the rising assembling elevator, said switch serving to render said lock re-operative.

No references cited. 

